There's a team in Madrid pushing Barca for La Liga title (but it's not Ronaldo and Co) - It's Atletico... and they mean business!

They are led by Diego Simeone, the former Argentine captain who won more caps for his country than Diego Maradona and was famously too crafty for a young David Beckham in St. Etienne in 1998.

Their top scorer is Diego Costa who Liverpool wanted at the start of the season and whose mix of menace and goals – he's La Liga's top scorer – have put him on Chelsea's wish-list too.

They have Manchester United target Koke in midfield – king of the assists in Spain with eight passes to goal and tipped by some to become Spain’s new Xavi when the old Barcelona pass-master retires.

On the up: Atletico are Barcelona's main challengers for La Liga title as they approach the half way stage

And they have Chelsea's on-loan keep Thibaut Courtois in goal. He was Spain's most difficult to beat keeper last season winning the Zamora prize for conceding fewest goals in the league and is on the way to winning the same accolade this year before moving back to Stamford Bridge in the summer to replace Petr Cech.

They are Atletico Madrid and they mean business.

It has been ten years since Rafa Benitez's ultra-organised Valencia left Barcelona and Real Madrid to squabble between themselves as they took the title to Mestalla. That year Barcelona had incorporated Ronaldinho and Real Madrid had signed Beckham but Valencia beat them both to the Spanish title.

This season Real and Barca have been comparing the form of expensive acquisitions Gareth Bale and Neymar while Atletico have been busy amassing 49 points to stay level with Barcelona. Next weekend they face each other in what is the last game of the first half of the season.

It will also be the last game of the season because the order of matches in Spain repeats itself in the second half of the campaign. No-one would back against Simeone's side going into that last game with a chance of winning their first title since the 1995-96 season when they won the double with Simeone as captain.

Main man: Former Argentina star Simeone was famously involved in the build-up to Beckham's red card in 1998

Becks appeal: The England midfielder saw red for this clash with Simeone at the 1998 World Cup

Atletico have never reached the midway point of the season with so many points since La Liga has been a 20 team competition. In just two years in charge Simeone has won the Europa League and the Spanish Cup – the latter won last May against Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid. It was the first time Atletico had beaten Real Madrid in 14 years and it was a sign that the tables were turning in Spain and Atletico were ready to rise again.

Not only was it a famous victory but it took place in Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium, and not at a neutral ground as is the norm for the Copa del Rey final.

Atletico accepted the Bernabeu as a venue because it meant around 40,000 of their supporters could go to the game without having to travel outside the city.

Speaking to Argentine magazine El Grafico Simeone explained how he put one over on Mourinho leaving him trophyless. Recalling his passionate extra-time team talk he said: 'For the first time I sensed that they (Real) were scared and that is what I told the players and I kept repeating it over and over until the hairs were standing-up on the back of everyone's neck.'

Atletico won in injury time with a goal from defender Miranda. The Brazilian forms part of a defence that also includes fellow countryman Felipe Luis, Juanfran, a former youth team winger at Real Madrid who has since won caps at full-back for Spain, and Uruguay central defender Diego Godin who England will face at the World Cup.

Star performers: Koke (right) and Villa (left) are two of the shining stars for Atletico so far this season

That solid foundation supported by holding midfield pair Gabi and Tiago allow the flair players Koke, Arda Turan, Costa and David Villa to play. But even the showmen put an incredible shift in. This is a team built on a work ethic that most rivals simply cannot live with – one that is drilled into the players by Simeone and his backroom staff.

Alongside Simeone in the dug-out is German Burgos. 'I'm not Tito, I'll rip your head off' he screamed at Mourinho in one Madrid derby two seasons ago – Mourinho having poked Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova in the eye a year before.

Former goalkeeper Burgos played 38 games alongside Simeone for Argentina. He has survived an operation to remove a tumour and still has the 35-stitch scar and the tobacco addiction to go with it.

Fitness coach Oscar Ortega is another elementary cog in the Atletico machine. The intensity of their football comes from his training regime. 'Solidarity and commitment' he can be heard bawling as he takes the players through their pre-match warm-ups.

He brings humour too. Shouting: 'We can
see you have come from Barcelona!' to David Villa in one training
session when the former Barcleona player cheats by putting his foot
marginally over the start line for a sprints drill.

Studious: Coach Burgos is part of the coaching set-up at Atletico

Villa has formed an impressive partnership with Costa in attack. There were doubts at the start of this season that Atletico could survive the departure of Radamel Falcao. The now-Monaco striker scored 91 goals in 70 games but Costa has already scored 23 in all competitions this season.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque liked him so much he signed him up. Aware that Costa possessed a Spanish passport and could therefore play for Spain despite being born in Brazil he sat down with him last October and successfully convinced him to turn his back on his homeland and play for 'La Roja'. He will make his Spain debut in Atletico Madrid’s Vicente Calderon stadium this March against Italy.

Costa is the epitome of Simeone's philosophy: 'When talent is combined with aggression and intensity then potential is reached', he says.

'I like football that is concrete not teams that have never-ending possession with people asking: "when is this attack going to end".

'Only two teams have the ability to play
that way – Barcelona and Spain. The rest ending up doing themselves more
harm than good with their possession.

Training regime: Simeone has a unique attitude towards when he speaks to his players

In his book 'El Efecto Simeone' written by journalist Santi Garcia Bustamente, the Aletico Madrid coach speaks about the importance of choosing when to speak to players.

'The best time to talk to your children is at night, before they go to bed. That is when they are relaxed and likely to listen and absorb. I like to treat the players as if they were my children,' he says.

He visits them in their hotel rooms when they are relaxing before lights-out and gives them the pep talks they will remember clearly as they go out on to the pitch the following day.

He also insists that at the club's dining hall and where possible in the team hotels the players sit at one huge table to eat – not at smaller tables of four or five players, encouraging cliques and groups within groups. They are one tribe. One family.

The family-feel of Atletico Madrid might even tempt a former favourite son back one day. Fernando Torres used to jump up and down to the tune of the brilliantly monotonous 'Ole, Ole, Ole, Cholo Simeone' song when he watched the team as a young fan.

But for the moment Atletico don't need any help from former favourites. They have the same number of points has Barcleona; they are above Real Madrid in the table; they are the Spanish Cup holders; and no-one will want to face them in this season’s Champions League.

Hot property: Costa is currently out-scoring Ronaldo, Bale and even Messi in La Liga this season